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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042256">Teenage Dirtbag.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/punksmasher21/pseuds/punksmasher21'>punksmasher21</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>All Time Low (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 05:41:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,327</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29042256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/punksmasher21/pseuds/punksmasher21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're a fucking dirtbag."</p><p>"Yeah, well. You're right there with me, babe."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Teenage Dirtbag.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Would you hold still?"</p><p>I winced at the unfamiliar pangs appearing throughout my scalp with each and every tug upwards. I fidgeted in my seat some more, holding onto my knees loosely until my chin was forced back upright. My gaze bore into the wide mirror before me and I grimaced, immediately taking notice of the dark circles underneath my dull eyes.</p><p>"Seriously, I used to do it for your brother all the time." Mom reminded, meeting my eyes through our reflection.</p><p>I bit my cheek, desperately trying to keep the stinging behind my eyelids from becoming something stronger. I broke our eye contact and stared into her bright purple fingernails as she combed through the thin strands of hair remaining stuck to my forehead. My vision blurred at the deep brown hair she continued to smooth up into short spikes and I bit my cheek harder with regret.</p><p>"I wish you wouldn't be so impulsive, Habibi." She smiled sadly, leaning her hands on my shoulders gently once she finished up. "Those beautiful locks looked just fine."</p><p>I swallowed my response back, wiping my sweating palms over the light blue thighs of my skinny jeans. Clearing my throat, I pushed off of the step stool I was using as a chair and stood up straight. Shaking off her comment, I tugged the dark red hoodie down my sides from where it rode up and wrapped my arms around my middle self-consciously. My fingers shook as they clutched the loose cuffs of the baggy sleeves when I side-stepped out of the small bathroom only for my mom to grab my elbow.</p><p>"Listen," She started softly, pulling me to face her. "I know how you're feeling. I'm sorry to pull you away from everything, but we needed this."</p><p>"I know." I whispered, blinking back the thick water pooling in the corners of my eyes.</p><p>"I just want you to be happy, Jack." She whispered right back, pulling me into a tight embrace. "I want you to be happy for real and I don't want any more secrets."</p><p>"Okay." I sniffled pathetically, digging my face into her shoulder.</p><p>"Don't cry, baby." She hushed, running her hand over the back of my neck. "It's going to be okay."</p><p>I hugged her back tighter and closed my eyes, allowing the thick tears to fall freely. The ache in my chest made it hard to believe her words, but I found myself nodding into her neck anyway. Hiccupping quietly, I pulled away and wiped my nose on the back of my sleeve. She laughed half-heartedly and wiped my cheeks with her warm hands while she stared back at me.</p><p>"Let's cover up those bags, huh?" She suggested, dropping her hands from my face in order to grab her small makeup bag. "I know you don't like looking as exhausted as you are. I had trouble sleeping over the weekend too, but it'll get better."</p><p>"It would be better if we were still home." I mumbled, allowing her to nudge me back until I was back on top of the step stool.</p><p>The silence filling the room made my ears ring as she dug out whatever she needed to help me out. I bite my lip, casting my eyes down to my lap where my fingers fidgeted together quietly. Swallowing my pride, I looked up to meet her face once she stood back in front of me and let out a small sigh of defeat.</p><p>"I'm sorry." I whispered, looking up to the ceiling once she began dabbing underneath my eye. "It's all my fault-"</p><p>"I wanted to leave your dad for a long time, Jack." She cut in sternly. "None of that is on you, okay? Nothing that happened is your fault and I'm still sick to my stomach that you feel that way."</p><p>"I don't want to cry anymore." I struggled to get out through the thick lump growing larger in the center of my throat.</p><p>"Don't waste your tears." She spoke softer, working on my other eye. "This is our fresh start, okay? You can start it however you want it."</p><p>"Okay." I hesitated, biting at my lip. "Can I be home-schooled?"</p><p>"No, Jack." She sighed, pulling my head back to eye level once she finished. "Don't be so nervous, Habibi. Those kids know nothing about you and will only know what you want them to know."</p><p>"Those kids are kids that have known each other for years now." I frowned, bringing my fingers to my lips. "I'm not going to fit in with anyone. They're all going to look at me and-and-"</p><p>"They're going to love you." She finished, pulling my hands away before I could bite at my fingernails. "You're handsome, smart, and outgoing. You're going to be just fine."</p><p>I rolled my eyes, just knowing she had to say that since she's my mother. I'd hardly describe myself as any of those things anymore.</p><p>"Come on, then." She clapped, smoothing her hands over my soft cheeks one final time. "Up and at 'em. We can't be late on the first day."<br/>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br/>
I licked my lips anxiously and stared down at the pale-yellow, probably stale, fries piled along the Styrofoam tray while chatter echoed from all around. My stomach twisted harshly, making me feel like throwing up while the anxiety of being in a completely new area remained tight in my chest. I chewed at my fingertips, constantly reminding myself that the feeling of everyone looking at me is just in my head. My fist curled into the sleeve of the red hoodie tightly and I heaved a shaky sigh, absolutely hating the feelings swirling within me. The familiar cologne barely clung to the worn material now and I could feel myself slipping back into the dark place I've been struggling to stay out of. Sniffling, I pulled my iPhone from my pocket and typed in the painful four-digit passcode in one swift movement. I dropped my fingers from my mouth and pulled the long thread of messages open once more, even sicker to my stomach at all of the read receipts meeting my eyes.</p><p>I skimmed the contact name, feeling my heart skip at the memories flooding my mind just from the emojis still set. I closed my eyes and leaned my arms over the table in order to drop my head down. As I avoided reality, my mind drifted back to just two weeks ago when I was the happiest that I've ever been. When I could battle my brother in Call of Duty and wrestle him after I lost. When I had my best friend by my side, dropping anything and everything just to be with me. When I couldn't go two seconds without grinning down at my phone. Shaking my head, I inhaled what was left of the cheap cologne clinging to the hoodie and found the last picture I took of the most important person in my life displayed behind my dark eyelids.</p><p>"Wake up, bitch."</p><p>I jumped up at the unexpected voice, squinting up from underneath of my baggy hood. I blinked hard, struggling to find any words as I met a pair of gentle brown eyes directly across from me. His toothy smile dropped into a small gawk as his eyes widened and I sat up just a little bit more, widening my own eyes from the jump scare.</p><p>"Well, you're certainly not the best friend I was coming to harass." He stated calmly, offering a kind smile. "Uh, sorry for calling you a bitch."</p><p>I closed my parted lips, feeling my heart pound hard in my chest like I was caught red-handed. I swallowed thickly and forced myself to sit up the right way, quickly forcing an awkward half-smile back.</p><p>"You're not wrong." I joked quietly, pulling my arms across my chest.</p><p>He laughed along and pushed his tray onto the table completely, giving me the impression that he's not leaving anytime soon.</p><p>"Rian." He introduced, holing his hand out like a businessman.</p><p>"Uh," I stammered, pulling my hand free and clapping it into his tensely. "Jack."</p><p>"Sweet." He grinned, releasing his grip on me. "Nice to meet you, Jack."</p><p>"Uh, thanks..." I trailed off, clearing my throat. "You too."</p><p>"You must be new." He continued, shoveling a mouthful of greasy pizza into his mouth. "Unless you're not a senior, that is."</p><p>I could feel the sweat beginning to pool into my hands as he looked me over, the only thing filling my mind being that he knows. I shook my head and wiped my hands over my thighs as slowly as I could in my attempt to look nonchalant, but the fact that he seemed to know the whole senior year in a massive campus made me a little nervous. Knowing tons of people could mean he's a shit ton popular and do I really want to get involved with another group of stuck up assholes?</p><p>"I mean, maybe we just never had classes together." He mentioned, reminding me that I still haven't spoken.</p><p>"I'm new." I confirmed, shrugging my shoulders.</p><p>"Oh, that explains why you're not familiar." He commented, eating another bite of the thick pizza.</p><p>I rolled my lips together and crossed my arms back over my chest loosely. Rian continued chowing down like he wasn't sitting with a complete stranger and I continued to sit stiffly and avoid all eye contact. My fingers itched to grab at my phone again, but I really didn't want to draw any attention to the fact that I'm constantly checking it. I fidgeted on my stool, trying to get comfortable but look as normal as possible at the same time. Sitting in front of someone new made me over-analyze every little thing I did, like crossing my legs or resting my hands in my lap. The anxiety was twisting knots into my stomach and all I wanted was for this dude to find the table he was looking for in the first place.</p><p>"You okay, dude?" He asked, the concern in his tone shocking to me.</p><p>"Totally." I rushed out, licking at my dry lips. "I mean, yeah. I'm cool, bro. Fine."</p><p>I mentally cringed at the jumbled words and felt the familiar heat of embarrassment slowly creep up the back of my neck.</p><p>"Okay..." He trailed off questioningly, finishing off his crust. "So, what made you move to this boring town?"</p><p>I blinked, pressing my lips together in a tight line. My palms grew ever wetter with sweat and I gulped, feeling my mouth open and close rapidly like a fish out of water.</p><p>"Yo, I'm fuckin' failing out of high school."</p><p>I unrolled my quivering lips and swallowed hard, feeling the table shake against me from sudden movement. My vision fell back into focus kitty-corner from me and the only thing I could hear in my ears was, once again, my pounding heartbeat. A mess of bubblegum-pink hair and broad shoulders sat beside Rian and my insides practically turned into puddy. Guilt swarmed my gut immediately afterwards and I forced my eyes away, feeling my heart sink further into my stomach.</p><p>"You are not." Rian scoffed.</p><p>I picked at my fingernails silently, tuning out of the light-hearted bickering as my gaze fell to the faded red sweatshirt covering bubblegum hair's chest. Almost the exact same color of my own hoodie. I pulled my lip between my teeth lightly out of habit and averted my eyes quickly, catching him plop a thick textbook opened in front of him. His thick eyebrows furrowed together as he muttered incoherently while his left hand pressed the top of his red pen to his frowning lips.</p><p>"It would probably help if you were on page seventy-five," Rian suggested, leaning over bubblegum's shoulder. "not fifty-seven."</p><p>"Fuck!" Bubblegum exclaimed, frantically flipping through pages. "Motherfucking shit. Teach me how to read, Daddy!"</p><p>I blinked back my shock, hearing Rian cackle unapologetically while my wide eyes met another deep shade of brown. I closed my mouth again, flushing deeply at the realization of my gaping-mouth-staring while an extremely crooked and laidback grin took over pink-hair's face. He quirked an eyebrow up towards Rian before leaning more onto the table and shooting me a wink.</p><p>"Looks like I found a new Daddy." He mentioned, licking his lips suggestively.</p><p>I sputtered, feeling like I was actually on the verge of throwing up my forced breakfast from this morning.</p><p>"Don't scare off my new friend!" Rian scolded, shoving at his side. "Hey man, please don't take offense to this asshole."</p><p>"I just want a Daddy that will teach me to do the homeworks right!" Pink-hair exclaimed, sending another round of heat up my neck as attention gravitated towards us.</p><p>"Okay, I'll be a better Dad!" Rian shouted, pulling the book in front of him. "Just shut up, would you?"</p><p>"Yes, sir." Pink-hair saluted with a smirk, slumping over the table much like I was when I was alone.</p><p>Rian rolled his eyes and the anxiety rising to my eyeballs softened up after a full five minutes of observing these guys. Just they way they talked with each other let me know that they were different from anyone else I've ever met. Not to mention they're clearly very comfortable with each other.</p><p>"Oh!" Rian shot out, pointing directly towards me. "You're Jack."</p><p>"Yes." I nodded shyly, stealing another glance towards pink-hair.</p><p>"Jack, this is Alex." He introduced, nudging pink-hair's head. "Alex, this is Jack."</p><p>"Yo, Jack." Alex nodded casually and I envied him for talking so easily.</p><p>"Hi." I greeted softly, picking at the pockets of my jeans for a few seconds before I grew a sliver of courage. "Uh, hey Rian..."</p><p>"Yeah?" He wondered, looking up from the textbook.</p><p>"Does this mean you're my daddy too?" I blurted, biting my lip in anticipation.</p><p>"I think he'll fit right in with the crew." Alex laughed, digging his face back into his arms.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I’m going to make myself post here because Mibba is still dead!!</p><p>:D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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